The Saga of Hikan: Before the Transformation
by Hikan
Summary: An ordinary Matoran in the city of MetruNui named Hikan is mysteriously transformed into a Toa and thus must face the challenges of being one... Book One of the Saga of Hikan.
1. Chapter 1

_I was not always a Toa. Like many other heroes before me, I was a Matoran in the beginning. But there was something special about me..._

I was Turaga Dume's loyal servant and most trusted friend.  
It all began in my small chamber at the top of the Coliseum...

The voice of Derone, Dume's right hand Matoran, floated up from below.  
"Hurry up, slave! Dume wants his breakfast!"  
I got out of my hard protodermis chunk of a bed (only Dume and his right and left hand Matoran had soft Ga-Metru flax to use as blankets) and polished my light grey Huna.  
"Hurry up, slave, or I'll whip you!" threatened the Ta-Matoran with an Orange Matatu, menacingly cracking the piece of seaweed laced with bits of rock he used as a whip.  
I clenched my teeth. No matter what Dume said about me being his friend, Derone still was- and thoroughly enjoyed- calling me 'slave'.  
As I stumbled downstairs, Derone snapped at me. "Get to the kitchens NOW, or you'll find yourself on the recieving end of a good whipping!"

The kitchens were dark and poorly lit. Glancing over at the order Dume always put on paper so that I knew what was to be made for his meals the next day, I began to work.  
"Okay," I murmured. "Hot Bula berry tea... okay. Lightly battered Takea shark... no problem. Cooked leg of Husi... where am I supposed to get THAT?"  
Then I remembered. New food was dropped off daily at the kitchens' back door. Hurrying there, I spotted a crate that said 'Husi legs. Handle with caution."  
Opening the box, I pulled out one of the legs, put the rest of the box's contents in the cooler, and began to cook it.  
Minutes later, the rest of the meal was complete. I loaded it onto a tray and carried it to the throne room.

Kean, a Cyan Hau-wearing Matoran and Dume's left hand, growled as I entered the chamber.  
"His Majesty's breakfast was two minutes late," he barked. "Apologize!"  
I could see Derone sniggering. It was HIS fault I was late!  
I mumbled out an apology and set the tray on Turaga Dume's table.  
Dume took a sip from the cup and sighed. "Mmmm... hot Bula berry tea, right from the greenhouses in Le-Metru, just what I wanted. Thank you, Hikan. You may now explore the city, but stay in Ta-Metru and come back at eleven o'clock."

Bowing, I slowly walked out of the Coliseum to the city beyond.


	2. Chapter 2

The door I took out of the Coliseum opened up to a road by the factories. I made my way through the heavy fog caused by the smoke and stumbled out onto Dume Street, named in honor of the Turaga of our city.  
Removing a small flax-covered bundle from my kitchen apron, I unfolded the cloth to reveal a Kanoka launcher. It was a secret only I knew about. Recently, in my spare time, I had been going to the junkyard and had been practicing my firing aim with flawed disks that had been left there to disintegrate.  
When I was adventurous enough, I sometimes distracted the factory workers long enough to snag a disk. A real Kanoka disk, not like the flawed ones in the junkyard. I rarely used them, except when fish needed to be cooled (a freeze disk worked) or I was outside in the city and far away from the Coliseum (teleportation disks came in handy here).

Heading for a small diner I knew well, I pocketed my launcher, a wise decision on my part. Better not to let the Vahki see someone with a weapon in the middle of a crowd of Matoran. Things like that would land you in jail- unless you outran the Vahki, which rarely happened.

Entering Reka's Diner, I waved at the Red Mahiki-wearing female Matoran behind the counter. "Hi, Reka!" I exclaimed.  
"Good to see you, Hikan!" she exclaimed. "What'll it be?"  
"A Bula berry shake and two scrambled Gukko eggs, please," I replied. I secretly had a crush on Reka but I was too shy to let her know it.  
"Coming right up!" she replied.

After eating my breakfast and paying Reka three widgets (the cost), I decided to make a strategic move.  
Bending close to Reka, I murmured, "Would you like to go out tonight?"  
She blushed and whispered back, "What?"  
"Go out. You know, just the two of us. I was thinking of visiting the dinner theatre down the street, maybe have a stroll somewhere nice afterwards..."  
"Oh, Hikan, that's very sweet of you, but I can't."  
"Why not? You don't have the late night shift!"  
Reka sighed. "I have commitments."  
I groaned. "Let me guess. Family, right?"  
"Correct."  
"Look, Reka," I persuaded, "Forget about the family for once. Enjoy yourself, for once in your life!"  
"Look, I can't," she snapped. "And if you can't understand that, get out of my diner."  
"But...but..." I stammered.  
"No buts! Out!" she growled under her breath and jabbed a finger towards the door.  
Not wanting to make her angry, I did as she said and hurried outside.


	3. Chapter 3

As I made my way through the crowds on Dume Street, I felt cold metal against my shoulder.  
I looked up and gasped. Toa Lhikan!  
He held me in his gaze for a few minutes, nodded, then walked on.  
I stood in awe a moment then checked the position of the sun.  
"It's ten-thirty," I muttered. "Better get to the Coliseum quick."  
Ducking into a back alley, I made sure no one was watching, then took a teleportation disk out of my pocket and used it.  
Minutes later, I was at the doors of the Coliseum. I entered.  
Strangely enough, I didn't see Derone sitting on the right side of Dume went I walked in. I wondered why this could be and concluded that he was polishing his mask.

The day passed by quickly and, in a flash, it was time for my stroll after supper.  
I decided to visit Reka's Diner to see if she had arranged something with her family that would allow her to go out with me tonight.

Then it hit me. Reka _had_ no family. Her family members died in the Gukko Flu crisis ten years ago. Right away, I knew something was up. Why would Reka lie to avoid going out with me? Could she be dating someone else?

I quickened my pace and soon I was right outside Reka's diner.  
Spotting Reka emerging from the door, I decided to hide behind a trashcan and see what was going on.  
Noticing an Ussal cart by the sidewalk, I frowned. Reka's apartment was so close to the diner she usually walked home. What _was_ going on here?

Suddenly, Derone stepped out from the shadows. He and Reka kissed then hopped onto the Ussal cart. I heard Derone whisper to the Matoran driver, "Feyoke's Gourmet Diner, please!" and then the cart drove off.  
Gasping, I felt my heart sink to my stomach. Feyoke's Gourmet Diner was one of the swankiest bistros in Ta-Metru! _That_ was why Reka lied to me. She was going out with Derone!

I felt my right hand curl into a fist. Sooner or later, I was going to get revenge on Derone for going out with Reka when I already asked her, and on Reka too. She could have told the truth right to my face instead of cooking up this elaborate scheme so I wouldn't feel upset that she was going out with someone else.

I didn't feel like exploring the city much longer, so I gloomily walked down Dume Street to the Coliseum.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I went to the kitchens and found that Dume had given me an errand: go to Ga-Metru and pick up a delayed shipment of Takea fins.  
Right when I was about to leave out the back door, something shiny caught my eye. It was on the counter where the note had been.  
I warily walked over and picked it up. I examined it. It was a Toa Stone!

Not stopping to think about my discovery or who would give me such a mysterious object, I hurried through the doors by the factories.  
I noticed a Matoran emerging from the entrance to one of the factories. Odd. Factory workers never left their workplaces, except to go home. He had something in his hands, and I could see that it was a Toa Stone. I decided to follow him.

My chase took me to the central Ta-Metru chute station, where I saw the mysterious Matoran disappear into a crowd of Le-Matoran tourists headed for Ga-Metru.  
Flashing the ticket vendor my All-Metru Pass, I started to zoom through the chute. That pass is given only to Turaga Dume's inner circle, which includes Derone, Kean, and myself. It allows me to go into any chute in Metru Nui, no questions asked.

The chute stopped and the Ta-Matoran got out, with me not far behind.  
I followed him all the way to the Great Temple, where, strangely enough, five other Matoran waited.

I watched the Matoran become Toa and took mental notes on how they did it. Suddenly, they started to leave, so I leapt from my watching place beside the door to behind a large statue of Lhikan.  
"Vakama," Nokama said nervously, "Did you notice that there were _seven_ slots in the Suva, yet there are only six of us?"  
"Who cares," Onewa shrugged. "That's probably the result of erosion. You know how old the Suva is!"  
Satisfied with that answer, the Toa left.

After checking that they were all gone, I stepped up to the Suva and inserted my Toa Stone in the one remaining slot.  
There was a flash of light, and orbs in all the colors of the rainbow came out of the Suva.  
They surrounded me and I could feel my small Matoran body growing. My Huna glowed with a golden light, and I had all the Kanohi powers there were. Lastly, I looked down and saw my white body turn crystalline.  
A silver staff with two purple claws crackling with electricity popped out of the top of the Suva and I grabbed it.

Examining myself in a nearby pool of water, I tried to figure out what element I was Toa of.  
Fire? Not likely.  
Water? Could be...  
Air? Hmm...  
Stone? Hardly.  
Earth? Impossible.  
What about Ice?

"Hikan, Toa of Ice." I said the name over and over. There was just something wrong with it. Besides, I had seen a white Toa already be created, and white symbolized Ice.

Then I remembered the rainbow-coloured orbs that had surrounded me.  
What was rainbow coloured? Crystal!

"Now and forevermore," I shouted, "I am Hikan, Toa of Crystal!


	5. Chapter 5

I was about to leave the Great Temple when a thought crossed my mind: I couldn't go out there in my Toa form! Matoran would panic and call for the Vahki.  
Glancing down at my new body, I groaned. Did I look anything like a Matoran? No.

Concentrating hard on my Matoran form, I found my body turning back to Hikan, the simple Ko-Metruan.  
"Huh," I murmured, "It looks like I can transform into things. Maybe this is my power!"

And with that, I stepped outside.

I needed to test my newfound ability, so I looked around for a target. The Le-Metruan tourists from before were admiring the clear water, so I zapped one of them with my staff and picked up his mask. It was a light green Pakari.

I snuck behind a pillar, took off my own mask, and replaced it with the Pakari.  
Instantly, my body changed to that of Vira the Le-Metruan. Also, a light green swirl appeared on my left arm.  
Feeling satisfied, I changed back to my original form and went back to the Coliseum with the Takea shark fins, which I picked up on my way back to the Chute Station.

Later that day, I decided it was time to get revenge on Derone and Reka. Running over to her diner, I used an Akaku to peer inside.  
Good. There was only the two of them there.

Changing my mask to a Miru so Derone wouldn't recognize me, I walked inside and sat at a table.  
When Reka came over, I asked, "So, how was your date with Derone?"  
Reka frowned and replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

I howled with laughter and responded, "You know very well, Reka."  
Then, I transformed into my regular Matoran form.  
Derone went pale with shock and Reka gasped. "H...Hikan? Is that really you?"  
"Who did you think it was?" I sneered and changed into a Toa.  
Derone tried to leave but I blocked the door. "Do you think I would let you get away that easily? I'm going to get revenge on you, and you're not going to like what I have in mind." I grinned wickedly.

"DON'T!" screamed Reka. "I love him! You're a cruel, inconsiderate creature, Hikan!"  
"Oh, really?" I laughed. "Maybe you should have thought before cruelly dumping me. You're just as cold-hearted as the rest of us. Now, stand aside or I'll eliminate you too."  
Fearing for her life, Reka closed her eyes as I built up the energy in my staff and fired a single deadly bolt at Derone.  
When Reka opened her eyes again, only his mask was left.  
I quickly grabbed the mask and pushed it on. Within minutes, I could take the form of Derone. An orange swirl appeared on my right arm.  
"Hikan!" screamed Reka. "Bring him back!"

I hesitated and thought for a while.  
"Okay," I said slowly, "I'll bring him back, on one condition. You must go straight to Turaga Dume and tell him that Derone was crushed by Morbuzahk vine. Nobody is to know what happened here."  
Reka blinked back a tear. "I promise," she whimpered.  
"Very well." And with that, I changed back to my Matoran form and left the diner.


	6. Epilogue

Reka never got a chance to tell Turaga Dume about Derone's death. Soon after the Toa found the Great Disks and defeated the Morbuzahk, all the Matoran were ordered to the Coliseum.  
I hid at the top of a Knowledge Tower in Ko-Metru, which gave me some time to think about what I had become.

Had I really been transformed into a cruel, inconsiderate creature, just like Reka said? Was that what a Toa should be?  
Was the taste of revenge not enough? Did I have to resort to killing other Matoran and stealing their bodies?  
If Lhikan knew I would become such a monster, why did he give me a Toa Stone in the first place?

With so many questions spinning in my head, I never noticed the tremors of the earth and the constant cracking of the towers nearby.  
Then, the quake came.

The cliff I was sitting on split in half, and I was fprced to prepare to jump to the ground far below.  
Changing my Huna to a Miru, I noticed my staff rolling towards a deep crevasse in the crystal.

I would have saved it, had not the tower begun to shake, and I finally jumped off the cliff, saying goodbye to all I held dear.

_I sighed as I put down the piece of charcoal and set down the writing tablet.  
THe task of writing my story hadn't been easy. It had brought back a lot of pain and anger, things that I could not control.  
Then I shivered, for there was still more pain to come. A story of betrayal and disguise, of power lost and hope faded._

The tale of the Visorak, and the war of Metru Nui.

**To be continued in The Saga of Hikan: City of Shadows...**


End file.
